Rapture
by Moinah
Summary: Beginning from the time Ric kept Carly in the panic room. This is my take on Elizabeth and Jason's relationship after Carly is back home. LIASON. Chapter four is UP!
1. Chapter 1

**One**

"As far as I know, Elizabeth found Carly in a hidden room in her house. Ric was holding her there." Sonny paused and listened to something spoken to him through the small phone poised at his ear. He nodded his head. "Yeah, they're at the hospital; I'm on my way there now."

Sonny paused again to listen, and then agreed with whatever it was that he heard. "Alright, I'll meet you there."

He pressed the _end_ button on his cell phone and managed the rest of the drive to the hospital in silence. When he arrived, a tall blond man was waiting there for him.

"Jason," he said, nodding his head in recognition. "Where's Carly?" Sonny immediately questioned.

"She's in room 401 in the intensive care unit. Elizabeth is just down the hallway from her," was Jason's reply.

"Is she…can I go see her?" Sonny asked.

"Uh, yeah…yeah, she's stable. Alan says the baby's alright, and that they should both make a full recovery."

Jason knew Sonny well enough to know the questions his friend had, and he answered them without the words ever spoken. That was the way it had always been since the day the two had begun working together.

Sonny left to go see Carly. Jason, however, appeared to be rooted in place.

His mother, Doctor Monica Quartermaine, approached him with the information he had been waiting to hear since Sonny had called him with the news that Elizabeth had found Carly.

"Elizabeth's condition is stable for now, Jason, however, she's unconscious. I'm assuming you're going to go sit with her, and so I would advise you not to do anything that would disturb her for the time being," Monica paused briefly before continuing. "She's been through a lot."

Jason nodded his head slowly. "I, uh…" He cleared his throat. "What was…what happened to her when she found Carly?"

Monica seemed uncertain as to how to answer his question, but the proceeded to tell him that someone had been poisoning her for months.

"Do you know what she was being poisoned with?" Jason asked.

"Some preliminary tests have been performed. We should know in a couple of days. Now, I have a lot that I have to get to right now, but don't hesitate to come to me if you need anything." She looked almost hopeful.

Jason thanked her and went to see Elizabeth. He passed Carly's room on the way there and saw that she was awake and talking to Sonny. He was glad that she was going to be alright, but the feeling of relief darkened when he remember that Elizabeth had not been as lucky, and was, at that very moment, lying in a hospital bed because someone had been poisoning her. He hated seeing her hurt, and dreaded walking into Elizabeth's room only to see her looking pale and weak.

He opened her door and was surprised to see that she wasn't asleep at all, as Monica had described. Her blue eyes were wide open and fixed upon him.

"I was hoping you would come visit me." She smiled weakly at him. "You wouldn't believe how lonely it can be when you've destroyed all of your past friendships to be with a man who kidnaps people to get revenge. Jason, I am so sorry that I didn't listen to you before about Ric. I was so –"

He stopped her there. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Elizabeth."

"I defended him, Jason. I hurt you in the process. Don't you see anything wrong with that?"

Jason sighed and sat down in the chair beside the bed. "Elizabeth, you defended Ric because he let you believe that eh was something he wasn't. Everything that's happened…it's because of Ric, not you," he said forcefully.

"I know, it's just…for months you warned me, but I refused to listen to you. I was so adamant in my defense of Ric that I was too distracted to pay attention to all of the warning signs he was giving me."

"Maybe; but Ric fooled Sonny, too. Ric is smart, and he knows exactly what to say to keep people in the dark," Jason reasoned.

Elizabeth gave him a weak smile and asked him how Carly was doing.

"She's alright; the baby's alright. Alan and Monica agree that they're both going to make a full recovery."

"That's really good. I'm glad they're both going to be okay," Elizabeth said. "What about me? Is there any word on why I collapsed?" she asked.

Jason became serious then.

"Jason?" Elizabeth prodded.

"Monica says that someone has been poisoning you," he told her.

"Poisoned? Is this like food poisoning, or…or what?" Elizabeth asked, shocked.

"The doctors aren't sure yet. They've done some tests, but the results won't be ready for a couple of days," he answered.

"Okay, so, someone poisoned me - probably my fiancé. He did it, didn't he?"

"I don't know if he did or not."

Elizabeth sighed. "Where's Ric now?"

The door opened before Jason could give her an answer, and Sonny walked inside the room. When he realized that Jason was already in the room, he stopped.

"I can come back later," Sonny told them.

"No, its fine. I should probably go see Carly, now that she's back," Jason replied. Turning to Elizabeth, he said quietly, "you don't need to worry about Ric anymore. He won't be allowed anywhere near you."

She believed him. "Thank you, Jason, for everything."

Jason nodded and left the room.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" Sonny asked.

"Not at all," she replied.

Sonny sat down in the chair that Jason occupied only a few moments before.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Never mind that right now. I feel fine. I need to apologize to you for not realizing the truth about Ric, or noticing that he held your wife prisoner in my house. Sonny, I am so sorry. When I think that I almost married that man, I feel sick to my stomach."

"Then we'll call it even," Sonny began.

"What do you mean 'even'?" Elizabeth asked, trying to sit up.

Sonny stopped her. "Easy, Elizabeth, you've been through a lot. Jason wouldn't be very happy with me if I let you tire yourself out now."

"I really don't think Jason cares about what happens to me right now. At least he shouldn't after everything that happened with Ric and Carly. Besides, isn't he engaged to your sister?"

Sonny smiled at her. "Listen, Elizabeth. I love my sister. She's family, and that's the most important thing in the world to me. Jason has always had somewhat of a soft spot for you, so believe me when I tell you this: he cares about his family as much as I do. You were his family once, and he cares about you."

"I wish I could believe that now, but after everything, I just…" she broke off with a small sigh.

"Well, if I can't convince you of that, then I'll just have to settle for thanking you for finding my wife. It means a lot to me and Michael…and to Jason," Sonny said.

"You're welcome, Sonny. I only regret not finding Carly sooner," Elizabeth told him.

He nodded. "I'll let you get some rest."

A small smile was her only reply.

It didn't take long for Elizabeth to fall asleep after Sonny left the room. Jason watched her sleeping through the window into her room until Sonny approached him in the hallway sometime later.

"How are you holding up?" Sonny asked him.

"I'm fine," he answered, turning around. "I was thinking that as soon as Carly is well enough, we should send her, along with Michael and Courtney, to the island."

I agree with you. Ric is liable to try to take Carly again when he realizes she's gone. I want my family kept safe from him," Sonny said. "What about Elizabeth?"

"I figured we would assign a couple of guards to protect her if she needs it, and I'll keep an eye on her, too," Jason replied. In truth, he wanted to make sure for himself that Ric stayed away from her, and he couldn't do that if she was away at the island.

"Where is she staying once she's released?"

"I'm not sure," Jason answered. "Probably with Audrey, her grandmother, but if not, I'll tell her she's welcome to take the spare bedroom in my penthouse until she can find a place to stay," he said.

* * *

A couple of days later, Carly's doctors deemed her fit for discharge from the hospital. Sonny decided that it was the best time to broach the subject of a trip to the island.

"No! Absolutely not, Sonny; I won't go!"

"Carly, please, it will only be for a few days. Just until we find Ric, and ensure he will be staying away from you and the baby. I promise you it won't be for long," Sonny pleaded with her.

"I don't understand why you can't just assign some more guards to us?" Carly asked, turning to glare at a passing nurse. The young girl flinched under her gaze and walked more quickly past the quarrelling couple. Carly turned her attention back to her husband.

"You've made it a habit of losing the guards," Sonny answered. "I just need to know that my family is safe, Carly. I won't allow you to be in danger again. I can't," he told her.

Carly wavered and gave in to the fear that was distinctly evident in his voice. "Alright, fine, we'll go. But you have to promise me that as soon as everything is back to normal, you'll let us come back."

"I'm only doing this because I love you, and I want you, and our family, safe," Sonny replied with relief.

"I know, Sonny. I know how important family is to you." Her eyes narrowed. "But if you think that you're going to keep us on that island until this baby is born, you had better think again. I just spent the first few months of this pregnancy away from you, and I'm not all that eager to stay away for the rest of them," Carly said sternly.

Sonny grinned at her and held out his arms to her. "Come here, Carly," he said. She frowned and walked into his embrace, allowing him to hold her. Sonny held her tightly against him.

"Promise me we'll only be gone for a few days."

"I promise you'll only have to stay at the island until its safe for you to come home," Sonny allowed.

* * *

Across town, Courtney Mathews had just agreed to a trip to the island herself, with her sister-in-law and nephew.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Courtney told Jason.

"Me, too. But, you know, you'll only be gone for a week at the most. Before you know it, you'll be back," Jason replied.

Courtney smiled at him. "I love you, you know."

"Take care of Carly for me," Jason asked before kissing her goodbye.

"I will. See you in a couple of days."

With that, Courtney turned away from him and left the penthouse. She had a plane waiting for her.

"Bye," Jason said just as the sound of the door clicking shut resonated throughout the penthouse around him.

He sighed. After a few moments of standing in the middle of the penthouse, Jason grabbed his jacket and left to go see Elizabeth. Today she would be released with a clean bill of health, and he had agreed to pick her up from the hospital.

When he arrived at the Port Charles General Hospital, a nurse directed him to the cancer ward. Apparently, Elizabeth had been visiting Jason's younger sister, Emily, who was also Elizabeth's best friend. Diagnosed with breast cancer, Emily was currently at General Hospital receiving treatment.

"Are you ready to go home?" Jason asked Elizabeth when he finally found her.

"Home?" Emily asked curiously. "You told me you were staying with Audrey, not Jason," she said accusingly.

"I am staying with Gram. Jason's only giving me a ride there since Gram's working for the next few hours."

"You can come to the penthouse instead, so you don't have to wait alone. I can bring you to her house when she's finished work," Jason offered.

Emily gave him a strange look from behind her friend's back, but Jason ignored her.

Elizabeth didn't notice a thing. "No, that's alright. I'm just going to relax anyway; I'll be fine on my own, but thank you for offering, Jason." She smiled appreciatively.

"The sooner I'm home, the better. Em, would you mind terribly if we left now?"

Emily made a motion to shoo them both out of the room. "Get out of her before I change my mind," she said with a weak laugh. "I should probably get some rest, too, while Nikolas isn't hovering over me."

Elizabeth smiled. "Oh, I'm sure he'll be back soon," she said laughingly.

Nikolas was Emily's fiancéé, and he was notorious for making sure Emily was never in any discomfort to the best of his ability. This sometimes entailed his well-meaning, but constant, presence in her hospital room.

"Tell him I said hello, and I'm sorry I missed him."

Jason held the door open for her, and Elizabeth gave her friend a small wave before leaving the room, Jason smiled at his sister and followed Elizabeth out into the hallway.

When they reached the underground parking garage, Elizabeth stopped short, and looked around. Jason almost walked right into her. Squinting in the dimly lit lot, Elizabeth asked where his motorcycle was.

"I decided to bring the car instead. The bike might be a little too much excitement for you right now."

Elizabeth pretended to pout. "I could have handled it."

Jason looked down at her thoughtfully. "I don't doubt that you could have," he replied, treating her to a rare smile.

He opened the car door for her, and, once inside himself, he asked how long she was planning to stay at her grandmother's home.

Elizabeth shrugged. "I don't want to impose on her for too long. I know she says she doesn't mind, but I'm only going to stay until I can find a more permanent place to stay."

This didn't surprise Jason. "You know, if you want it, the spare bedroom in my penthouse is always available. Courtney is away at the island with Carly and Michael -" he trailed off. Elizabeth was already shaking her head.

"I don't think that's such a good idea right now, Jason," she said quietly.

He didn't argue with her; he half agreed with her. Jason found he didn't like the silence in the car as he pulled the vehicle up to Audrey's home. "I assigned a couple of guards to you, just in case Ric tries to make any contact."

Elizabeth thanked him awkwardly, saying that it probably wasn't necessary.

He nodded. She waited for him to say something, unable to think of anything to talk about herself.

He took a deep breath. "Well, you know where to find me if you need me," he told her.

"I know, Jason, and I appreciate everything you've done for me. I don't deserve it, after everything that's happened," she said.

"This wasn't your fault, Elizabeth," he said sharply.

"Not all of it," she agreed. "But that doesn't mean I'm innocent either."

She smiled sadly at him then turned and exited the car. Jason waited for her to get inside safely, and drove away.

* * *

Later on in the evening, Elizabeth was having an inevitable conversation with her grandmother about the events of the past few months.

"I just can't believe how ignorant I was, Gram," Elizabeth confessed.

"Elizabeth…" Audrey sighed and took one of her granddaughter's hands in both of her own. "It's been my experience that these hardships we face, they have a purpose. Now we may not know the reasons for them at the time, but someday _you_ will, I promise you. You'll know the purpose behind each of your hardships, and you'll be stronger and happier because of it."

Elizabeth nodded slightly in acknowledgement, her eyes tearing up, and Audrey continued.

"Just remember this: no matter how hard it gets, or how little you think there is to live for, Elizabeth…well, just remember you always have your family to turn to. No matter what."

"Gram?"

"Yes, what is it, love?"

"This is just a hypothetical question, but what would you do if someone you really cared about, and who never lied to you, warned you about Ric's true character, but you wouldn't believe that person because you have been blinded by Ric?" Elizabeth asked.

Audrey didn't need much time to ponder the question.

"I would do everything in my power to set things right," she answered. "Oh, Elizabeth, don't cry. Why don't you go speak to Jason?" she asked.

Elizabeth looked up in surprise, her nose already red, and her eyes swollen. "How did you know it was Jason?" she asked.

Audrey smiled. "I may be old, my dear, but I haven't lost my sight yet," she quipped.

Elizabeth laughed through her tears. "Oh, I need a tissue, or I'm going to look awful in the morning."

Audrey waved this off. "Elizabeth, you look beautiful no matter how much you cry."

"Sure, you're saying that now, but just wait until tomorrow when my eyes are so swollen they look like balloons."

Audrey smiled, and Elizabeth stood up. "You're right, Gram. I need to star working to make things right."

Audrey stood up as well. "Well, good luck then, and cry as much as you need to. I promise I'll still think you look lovely."

Elizabeth flashed a smiled. "Bye, Gram. Thanks for everything, and don't bother to wait up for me. I have a feeling this will be a long conversation."

* * *

About an hour later, Jason opened the door to cross the hallway. He needed to speak to Sonny.

Upon opening the door, however, he found almost face to face with Elizabeth. Her hand was poised to knock on the door, and he could see that she was trying desperately not to cry.

Elizabeth lifted her chin slightly, so she could see him more clearly.

"Could I…do you mind if I come in?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

"Can I…do you mind if I come in?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Jason responded after a brief moment of shocked silence.

Elizabeth walked through the doorway, and past Jason.

Shock had given way to concern by now for Jason. "Did something happen?" he asked. "Did you run into Ric?"

"No, nothing like that," she answered quietly.

His nervousness subsided, and curiosity began to direct his line of thought. "Then what happened, Elizabeth? Why are you crying?" he questioned.

"Oh, God, this is going to sound so stupid." She took a deep breath and began. "I was crying because I couldn't knock," she told him.

"Because you couldn't kno…why?" he asked incredulously, his curiosity not fully satisfied.

"Well, not because I couldn't knock, really. I just came here to talk to you. You see, I was having this conversation with Gram about everything, and she told me to do everything I could to fix my past friendships that were ruined because of my adamant, stubborn belief that Ric was a good, decent person," she told him.

He nodded, and she continued.

"So, I decided to start here because this is where the most damage was done," she said.

"What does that have to do with knocking?" he asked confused.

"It doesn't. Well, it does, actually. In a way."

Jason didn't say anything.

"I'm not making a whole lot of sense right now, am I?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, you're not, but I'm sure you're about to explain," Jason said, clearly amused.

"Ok, so I came here, and when I got here I took out my keys without even thinking. So here I am, in front of your penthouse anymore."

Jason sat down on the couch looking suddenly more serious than before.

Elizabeth continued talking, oblivious to his sudden change in mood, as she began to pace the room. "And, so, I put my keys away and raised my hand to knock, but I realized that I couldn't do it. It just hit me that before Ric, I wouldn't have thought twice about knocking -- which actually sounds like Carly on a normal day -- I would have just walked right in. But now, it's so different; we're complete strangers." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was such a rude awakening for me. It was as if I was a child, and I was forced to move away. Every once in a while you would end up back in your old neighbourhood again; you could see your family's home, but you couldn't go inside because the house isn't actually your anymore. You can only visit, and remember what it used to be like, until, eventually, you get used to the loss," she finished.

"I think I know what you mean," Jason said.

"I know you do, Jason. You always did," she said. "I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I wanted to come back and not have to stand outside and remember how it used to be. I don't know how you feel, but that is the one loss my heart could never bear."

"I don't want you to feel like you could never come to me," he began.

"It's not only that. What I'm asking you for, Jason, is for our friendship back, but I think that maybe after everything that happened with Ric, and even before that, I don't think I even have the right," she said uncertainly.

Jason shook his head. "Our friendship was never gone, Elizabeth. We've both made mistakes, but luckily those mistakes can't be taken back --"

"You call not being able to take back a mistake, lucky," she interjected.

"Yes, I do. Because when we get through the hard parts, like right now, our friendship becomes stronger. That's why people have problems. They test the relationship, and if it's strong enough to survive whatever happens, it makes it that much better."

Elizabeth smiled at him. "That sounds like something my Grandmother would say."

* * *

Across the hall, Sonny was pouring himself a drink when his telephone began to ring, interrupting him.

"Yeah?" he answered the phone.

"Sonny? It's Courtney."

His thought leapt immediately to Carly and the baby. "Is everything alright?" he asked, concern for his wife and their children evident in his voice.

"Yeah. We're all fine, especially Michael. He's so glad to have his mom back. But listen, I'm coming back to Port Charles. Wait; just hear me out before you say _no_. Carly and Michael haven't seen each other for months and neither have you, so I was thinking that it would be a good idea for you to come to the island, and for me to go home."

"Courtney, I wanted you to go to the island because it's safer there, and that's where I need my family to be right now," he explained.

"I know, but Jason's in Port Charles; I'll be safe with him, and he could take care of the business for a few days, couldn't he?"

"He could, but that's beside the point," Sonny answered.

"Sonny, just think of what it would mean to Michael and Carly to have the family all together, away from everything, even for just a few days," Courtney continued in her attempt to convince her brother.

Sonny thought it over before answering. "You're sure you want to come back now? I know Michael and Carly don't mind you staying with them," came his final endeavour to dissuade her.

"I do; Jason and I haven't spent a lot of time together since Ric took Carly. It's put a bit of a strain on our relationship," she replied.

Sonny caved. "I guess it shouldn't be a problem for a few days."

"Perfect!" Courtney exclaimed. "I'll be back in Port Charles early in the morning. Oh, and Sonny? Don't tell Jason. I'm going to surprise him."

"Are you taking a commercial flight?"

She told him she was.

"I'll have Max bring a car to the airport in the morning to pick you up."

Courtney thanked her brother and hung up the phone. True to his word, Sonny didn't call Jason to let him know she was coming back early. He did have to discuss some things pertaining to business with him. Sonny decided that Carly's absence had taken a toll on them all, and that Courtney had been correct in her assumption that every one of them needed a break from it all.

* * *

Elizabeth and Jason were mending their broken friendship over a couple of drinks. Jason had suggested that they go for a ride on his bike since they hadn't done so in such a long time, but Elizabeth had told him that he would have to agree to let her drive since he had already had too much to drink. He realized that it was probably true for them both, and suggested that they play a game of pool instead.

Elizabeth burst into laughter. "I can't believe this! I used to be so good at pool. It's your shot, by the way." She walked over to him, but tripped when she bumped into the corner of his pool table.

"Hey, are you ok?" Jason asked, reaching out to steady her.

Jason relaxed when her response what to giggle even more uncontrollably.

"You'd think I'd be able to at least stand on my own two feet by now," she said finally.

Jason watched her with a dazed, slightly mirthful expression. "At the very least, you'd think you would be better at pool," he said smiling.

"That's not fair," she argued. "I would be able to play much better if the room would stop spinning for just a few minutes."

"Maybe we should stop playing for a while so you can sit down," Jason said concerned, his words slurring slightly.

"Nope, I'm determining…determination…deter…" She shook her head. "I'm going to beat you at pool," she said to him with more certainty.

Before he could respond, Jason was interrupted by the loud ringing of his cell phone sitting on the coffee table. Elizabeth, who was closer, answered it.

"Sorry, but Jason can't come to the phone right now. He's about to have his ass handed to him in a game of pool…oh, hi Sonny." She paused. "No, he's busy right now, so he can't. How's Carly?" she asked. "That's good," Elizabeth answered after another moment's silence. She plopped down on the couch. "I guess Michael's glad to have her back." After another few moments of silence passed as she listened, she said abruptly, "Well, Sonny, I have to go now. I have a game of pool waiting for me." She pressed the _end_ button on the phone before Sonny could reply.

"Alright," Elizabeth said, turning toward Jason. "Are you ready to lose, Morgan?" she asked playfully.

"I'm not going to lose," Jason replied, sounding amused and very sure of himself.

Soon after Jason had drunkenly, yet effortlessly, beaten Elizabeth at pool, she decided she should probably to back to Audrey's.

"I had fun almost beating you at pool," she told him honestly.

"Me, too," he replied.

"Well, bye, Jason."

She started to walk out the door, but, without warning, turned around and crashed right into Jason.

"Careful," he said, his eyes darkening as he held onto her gently until she regained her balance.

"I…um…forgot my coat," she explained slowly, not looking up to meet his eyes, but rather, staring straight ahead at his chest.

His refusal -- or perhaps inability -- to move out of her way, forced her to look up and meet his gaze.

"Right," she said, and tried to pull her arms out of his grasp when he began leaning down toward her.

Jason realized she was going to leave, and pulled her back toward him, crushing her against his chest.

"Don't," she said weakly. And then he kissed her.

* * *

Hours later, Courtney unlocked the door to the penthouse. Her flight had taken longer than she'd expected. It was already a little after eight o-clock in the morning. She hoped Jason hadn't left for the warehouse early.

Courtney crept up the stairs, no noticing anything terribly out of the ordinary. She opened the door to the bedroom and froze. Jason was asleep in their bed, and Elizabeth Webber was sleeping with him.

Devastated, Courtney backed away from the bedroom. She flew down the stairs, and out the door, without a clue as to where she was going to go. She only knew she couldn't stay here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

It had to be around noon by now, Jason figured when he woke up, the sun piercing through his closed eyelids. He rolled over in the bed, vaguely aware of a dull throbbing in his head. He expected the other half of the bed to be empty. To his dismay, it was not.

Jason ran a hand over his face as he recalled the events of the night before. Memories of Elizabeth showing up at his door in tears, their reconciliation of sorts, and a game of pool flashed before his eyes. He shook his head, in a futile attempt to rid himself of other, more explicit recollections of the previous evening.

He spoke softly to her, careful not to touch her. "Elizabeth, you have to wake up."

The response he received was a groan of protest; he tried again. This time, she bolted into a sitting position.

"Ooh. My head. That was a bad, bad idea," she moaned.

"That's not the worst of it," Jason said under her breath.

Elizabeth turned her head slowly, scrutinizing the surrounding area. Realizing exactly where she was, her mouth began to form a perfectly round, delicate 'O'.

"Oh, my god. Did I…did we?" She looked at Jason for confirmation.

"I think that maybe you should go now," he told her.

She looked away quickly. "I…yeah."

Jason glanced away as Elizabeth dressed herself quickly and flew out of the room. She was felt a small wave of relief wash over her when she realized that Jason had decided to stay where he was, not following her. With her head pounding furiously, and her body fighting a courageous battle against nausea, she stopped just outside of the elevator in the hallway and waited, impatiently, for it to reach her floor.

At that moment, Sonny appeared in the doorway to his own penthouse. He looked at her curiously, taking in her disheveled appearance.

"Hello, Elizabeth," he greeted her, his voice carefully even.

"Hi, Sonny. I guess you're here to see Jason. That's good. You…you're in luck because he's just there in his penthouse, and he's not busy. I mean, he's…he's not busy, and, um, he's there," she stammered.

"Are you alright?" he asked, knocking on his best friend's door.

"Yeah. Yes, I'm fine. I'm…fine. I –"

Jason's door abruptly swung open; Elizabeth cringed. Thankfully, the elevator doors opened with the sound of a small bell chiming not a moment later.

"Well, here's the elevator. Goodbye Sonny…Jason."

They both nodded their heads toward her in unison. With that ordeal over with, Elizabeth ducked into the elevator and disappeared.

"Is she okay?" Sonny asked, gesturing toward the elevator doors.

"Yeah, she's…we, uh…she's fine," came his friend's unconvincing reply.

Jason moved out of the way to let Sonny into the penthouse.

Sonny moved past him, but stopped in the middle of the room, and picked up Elizabeth's coat that had been lying across the back of the couch, forgotten.

"Is this Elizabeth's?" Sonny asked.

Jason looked up, and then nodded in recognition.

Sonny chose not to comment, but instead asked where his younger sister was.

"She's at the island," Jason answered, looking at him strangely. "Where else would she be?"

"I assumed she would be here."

"Why?" Jason asked, confused, concentrating on following this line of dialogue.

"She called me yesterday, said she was coming home. I'm going to the island instead this afternoon," Sonny explained.

"Why didn't I know about this?"

"Courtney asked me not to tell you. She wanted to surprise you or something like that. Max picked her up from the airport at around seven o'clock this morning. I came to talk to you about watching the business while I'm gone," Sonny clarified.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Jason replied. "So, you're sure Courtney was here?" he asked.

"Max informed me that after picking her up at the airport at around seven, he drove her here, and dropped her off at about eight o'clock this morning," Sonny explained.

Jason realized that Courtney must have come to the penthouse, and found him in bed with Elizabeth.

"I have to go find her," Jason exclaimed, reaching for his own jacket. He was halfway out the door when Sonny stopped him.

"What's going on, Jason?" he asked. "This has to do with Elizabeth, doesn't it? I know she was here last night because she answered your phone. Did she spend the rest of the night here, too? Was she just leaving this morning?" Sonny asked angrily.

"She did. I…we were drinking; we were drunk. I know it's not a good excuse for what happened, but it's all I have. I'm sorry," Jason defended apologetically.

"Did Courtney see you together?" Sonny asked.

"I don't know."

"Then maybe it isn't me who you should be apologizing to." With that statement, Sonny turned and left the penthouse.

Jason sat down on the couch, massaging his temples for a few seconds. He then stood up, and left to go find Courtney. And he did find her – in the park.

"Hi," Jason said as he approached her. "Sonny just told me that you came back this morning. I have to assume that you came to the penthouse, and I want to explain," he began.

"Save it, Jason. Save your lies for someone who cares," Courtney burst out. "Oh, wait, here's a suggestion for you: go tell Elizabeth Webber about it. I have to say, you both looked pretty cozy this morning," she said coldly.

"Courtney…" he started.

"Shut up, Jason. Just SHUT UP! Tell me, how long have you been cheating on me with that tramp? On second thought, don't answer that. I don't even want to know." She started to walk away from him, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"This has never happened before, Courtney," he said roughly. "We were both drunk," he tried to explain.

"Let go of my arm," she said quietly, her voice severe.

He let his hand drop.

"God, I can't believe I trusted you, Jason. I mean, no wonder you were so eager to have me go to the island. You and Elizabeth were probably laughing at me when I left. 'Stupid Courtney'," she mimicked. "Doesn't know a thing," she laughed bitterly.

"It wasn't like that at all, Courtney. I wanted you to go to the island so you could be safe," he said. "And Elizabeth would never laugh at you. She regrets what happened as much as I do."

This, he realized quickly as Courtney's eyes darkened with rage, was quite possibly the worst thing he could have said at that moment.

"Do not defend Elizabeth Webber to me, Jason. You were just scared that Ric would retaliate when he found out that you were sleeping with his fiancé," she spit at him. "What better way to protect her, than to send me to a remote island, thousands of miles away, and move her into the penthouse with you?"

"That's not true, Courtney."

"I don't believe you, Jason, and I don't have time for this."

With that statement, she walked quickly away from him. Jason watched her leave; waited until she disappeared from his sight, then he sighed and turned around, heading in the opposite direction.

He would go visit Emily, he decided. He hadn't spent nearly enough time with his sister lately. It would also take his mind off both Courtney and Elizabeth.

* * *

Elizabeth sighed, and leaned against the wall of the elevator.

'God, I am so stupid. What was I thinking?' she asked herself. She sighed again. "I wasn't," she answered aloud.

Elizabeth got off the elevator, walked through the lobby, and left the building. She hailed a taxi to take her to General Hospital. Once there, she pulled Monica, Emily's mother, aside.

"How's Emily doing?" she asked politely.

"I wish I could say she's improving, Elizabeth, but at least she isn't getting worse. That's something to be thankful for," Dr. Quartermaine answered.

"Is she still in the same room?" Elizabeth asked.

"She is."

Elizabeth thanked her again, and left to go visit her friend.

She treated Nikolas, Emily's fiancé to a smile as she passed him on her way in

"Don't wake her up, alright. She needs her rest," he told her as he left.

"Of course," Elizabeth agreed.

She walked into the hospital room and sat down in the chair beside Emily's bed. To her surprise, her friend's eyes popped open.

"Has he left yet?" Emily asked, sitting up, attempting to look out of the hospital room's small window to the hallway.

Elizabeth smiled. "You mean Nikolas?" she asked.

Emily nodded, trying to peer into the hallway.

"He left just a minute ago. I saw him on my way in. He mentioned that I shouldn't wake you because you need your rest," she added pointedly.

"I pretended to go to sleep so he would go home and get some rest himself," Emily said, explaining the surreptitious details of her brilliant plan.

"I take it simply asking him to go home for a while wasn't procuring the desired result?"

Emily laughed. "No, he's been wonderful, really supportive, you know. Nevertheless, he has to be drinking about a thousand cups of coffee each day to stay awake at the hospital for so long. That much caffeine isn't good for anyone," she joked.

"He did look like he could pass out at any moment," Elizabeth agreed. "So, how are you feeling, Em?"

Emily shook her head. "I don't want to talk about me. I hear enough from the doctors. How are things with you?"

"Things are good. I went to Jason's last night. I decided we needed to get our friendship back on track," Elizabeth told her.

Emily looked interested. "And how did that go?" she asked.

"It went well," Elizabeth lied.

Emily didn't look convinced, but before she had a chance to question her, the door to the room opened, and Jason walked in, interrupting them.

"Sorry," Jason apologized. "I didn't realize anyone would be here right now."

Elizabeth stood up. "I'm going to go," she said with a deep blush.

Jason stepped out of her pathway quickly, and Elizabeth nearly fled the room. Emily watched their interaction with increased interest.

Jason sat down in the chair Elizabeth had previously occupied and promptly asked Emily how she was feeling.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing that I told Liz," she began. "I hear enough about how I'm doing from the daily parade of doctors floating in and out of here. I appreciate your concern, Jason, but I'm that last thing that I want to talk about right now," she said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," was his sparse reply.

"Come on. I've talked to you a grand total of twice in the past few weeks. As your sister, I'm sure I'm entitled to a more of a detailed description of how you're doing than a simple 'fine', don't you think?"

He sighed, but acquiesced. "I'm doing alright. It's good to have Carly back. I think the only two people who are happier than I am are Sonny and Michael. Other than that, nothing else has happened lately that I want to talk about."

"What about Elizabeth?" Emily pressed.

"What about her?" Jason shot back, his eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly.

Emily shrugged. "She seemed like she was going to tell me something when you got here. For two people who are supposed to be reconciling and putting their friendship back together, she sure did leave in a hurry," Emily observed. "You wouldn't happen to know why she left so quickly, would you?"

"I don't want to talk about Elizabeth, Emily," he said firmly.

"Why?" she persevered.

"I was serious. I don't want to lie to you, so I'm not going to say anything. If Elizabeth wants to tell you, she will; that's her prerogative. If she doesn't, you aren't going to hear about it from me."

Emily looked taken aback by his reply, but before either of them had a chance to say anything further, the door to her room opened again, revealing a very embarrassed-looking Elizabeth.

"Sorry. I, um…forgot my purse," she said blushing, and refusing to look at Jason.

Memories of the night before flashed, unbidden, in front of Jason's eyes. He was experiencing an extreme sense of déja vu, except that this time, Elizabeth had forgotten her purse instead of her jacket, which was, he remembered, still resting on the couch in his penthouse.

Jason stood, and retrieved her purse, which was hanging over the back of his chair. He wordlessly handed it to her before leaving the room.

"That was strange," Emily commented, amused. By this time, she had a very good idea of what had transpired between her best friend and her older brother the night before.

"Elizabeth," Emily began, needing to hear an explanation from her friend. "What aren't you telling me?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Four**

"What aren't you telling me, Liz," Emily repeated.

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth replied, feigning innocence and ignorance.

"Just now, Jason shows up here, and you leave. Then half and hour later, you come back, and Jason can't get out of the room fast enough. Why? I thought everything went well last night with the whole 'friendship-repair' thing. Are things between you and my brother still awkward?"

"Oh, I wish that were the only problem, Em," Elizabeth began. "Things were great for most of last night. I went to the penthouse to talk, and we started to salvage our friendship. We had a few drinks and we played pool," she continued.

"But…" Emily prompted.

"But then we…oh god, I still can't believe this, Em…we _accidentally_ slept together," Elizabeth said with a cringe, the words tumbling from her mouth.

"You did what!" Emily asked, pretending to be surprised. "I…wait, you said accidentally?" she repeated. "That's something I don't think that I've heard before," she mused. "How do you accidentally –"

"Come on, Em, this isn't funny. Jason and I were playing pool and drinking. A lot. I remember getting ready to go home, but then when I was walking out the door, I realized that I had forgotten my coat in the penthouse. I whirled around to go back and get it, but Jason was still standing in the doorway, and I crashed into him. He helped me regain my balance, and then he just kissed me. After that, I don't really remember anything," she admitted.

"Well, maybe you never actually slept together. I mean, you would have remembered something, wouldn't you," Emily suggested, enjoying the situation, much to her friend's chagrin.

"No, it happened. We woke up in his and Courtney's bedroom," she cringed.

"Courtney. I forgot about her. Where was she? Does she know what happened?" Emily asked.

"As far as I know, Courtney is away at the island with Carly and Michael," Elizabeth replied.

Emily nodded in understanding. Elizabeth watched her friend glance at something or someone over her shoulder in the hospital hallway.

"Well, you had better go now. I, um, have to rest for a while. Doctors orders, you know," Emily told her.

Elizabeth rewarded her with a look of bewildered disbelief. "Alright," she said uncertainly. Upon closer examination, however, Elizabeth realized that her friend did look tired. She stood up and turned toward the door, but stopped herself when she saw what Emily had been looking at. Or rather _who_ Emily had been looking at.

Through the window of the hospital room, she could see into the poorly lit hallway. Jason was standing there and he appeared to be waiting for someone. Elizabeth quickly concluded that he must be waiting for her to come outside.

"You're truly evil, Em," she jokingly told her friend, her voice betraying only the slightest hint of the apprehension she felt.

Emily simply smiled and told Elizabeth to go talk to him.

"I was waiting for you," Jason said when she walked out of Emily's room.

"I'm glad you did. We should probably discuss how we're going to deal with what happened last night," she replied, blushing uncomfortably.

He nodded his agreement.

Elizabeth took a deep breath before beginning. "What happened last night was a mistake; had I…we been sober, it wouldn't have happened," she paused briefly. "If you want to tell Courtney, that's you're prerogative, but she isn't going to hear about it from me."

"She already knows."

"Elizabeth looked surprised, but nodded. "You already told her. I understand that you would want to be honest and upfront with her. Is she coming home from the island now?"

Although her exterior was calm, if a little embarrassed, inwardly, Elizabeth felt terrible about Jason telling Courtney of their drunken night. Jason had refused to tell her about Sonny's decision to fake his own death, but he had told Courtney about their one, inebriated night together; it hurt much more than she had expected it would.

Jason shook his head. "No, she's already here. Courtney came home early this morning," he said quietly. "She saw us together. I only found out when I met her today in the park. She was…angry," he finished lamely.

Elizabeth looked genuinely shocked and apologetic, but secretly she inexplicably felt relief – not jealousy – that he had not immediately called Courtney to tell her about what had transpired between them. "I'm sorry I was part of this, Jason. Obviously neither of us intended for this to happen, but if there's anything you think I could do to help, please let me know."

He shook his head again. "It wasn't only you. Obviously, it wasn't only you. I was there, too. Did you forget? We're adults, and we should have behaved like adults," he replied.

Elizabeth looked uncomfortable. "Actually, I don't – remember, that is," she confessed, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.

After a few moments of awkward silence, he asked her how she was feeling, to which she replied that she was very well.

"When I was visiting with Emily, she had the idea to buy my studio back. It would take my mind off everything that has happened lately, you know. I hope everything works out. I'm much more excited about painting again than I thought I would be," she told him.

"I'm happy for you, then," he said warmly.

"Thank you," Elizabeth replied with equal sincerity.

Neither of them seemed to be able to think of anything appropriate to say for the next few moments.

Unable to bear the silence for any longer, Elizabeth took it upon herself to end it. "We can't be doing this, Jason. However counterproductive it may be, I think we need to put a hold on the salvaging or our own friendship, and not spend any more time together. At least for right now, your relationship with Courtney will need your full attention. Spending time with each other will only make things more difficult between the two of you, and will inevitably only serve as another strain on our relationship as friends," she told him, inwardly hoping he would disagree.

To her disappointment, he did agree, but not before reminding her that if anything happened with Ric, or anyone else for that matter, he would like her to come straight to him instead of attempting to solve those problems on her own.

"I'll be fine on my own, Jason," she said ruefully. "I am capable of taking care of myself. But if it makes you feel better, Francis is still guarding me." She gestured across the darkened hallway toward the conspicuous-looking bodyguard standing stiffly by Emily's door. "I won't even be by myself," she assured him.

"Just be careful," he replied. "Be safe. That's all I'm asking you for."

She smiled half-heartedly, and told him that she needed to leave, as she needed to collect some information about repurchasing her studio; he told her that he understood and headed in the opposite direction of her.

As Elizabeth walked past the window of Emily's hospital room, she noticed her friend watching her leave. Elizabeth laughed on her way by and Emily smiled back.

"I'm very sorry, Ms. Webber. I understand your disappointment, but the offer I've received for your former residence exceeds your own by a very substantial amount."

* * *

About a month later, Elizabeth found herself in the midst of a very heated discussion between herself and the large balding man who was the proprietor of the building that housed her former studio. The stout man had just told her that while he had considered her offer for the studio, he had received an offer from an opposing party the following day that he could not bring himself to refuse.

"I understand, sir. Thank you for your time," Elizabeth conceded.

"Ms. Webber, I will let you know if the apartment in question, or any other for that matter, becomes available in the future," he assured her.

"I would appreciate that," she replied.

Elizabeth sighed and turned in the direction of the lobby. She spotted Francis near the doorway waiting for her. "There goes that idea," she said to him, smiling dejectedly. Then, brightening considerably, she told him it was time for her to move on to 'Plan B'.

Francis smiled back, amused. "What's Plan B'?" he asked. The two of them had formed somewhat of a friendship over the past couple of days, and he would come to enjoy her company very much.

Elizabeth eyes sparkled mischievously. "I haven't quite figured that part out yet," she admitted.

"I'm sure you'll think of something, Ms. Webber."

"It's 'Elizabeth,' and thanks for the vote of confidence," she said to him, smiling in spit of the crushing set down she had just experienced.

"You're welcome, Ms. Webber."

She sighed. "I need to go home now. You don't have to escort me, you know. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," he replied.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Sonny's orders," Francis replied simply.

"So can you leave when I go home?"

"No, my job is to make sure you're protected twenty-four hours a day."

"But where will you sleep?" she asked.

"I'll stay in my car. It isn't a problem," he answered.

"That's ridiculous!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "You're freeze to death."

"It hasn't happened so far, so I can't see why it has any reason to start tonight," he said with mild amusement.

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "Well, if you still have to guard me by the time I find my own place to stay, you can stay with me," she told him. "I'll make sure I have a guest room. Or at least a couch."

"That won't be necessary, Ms. Webber."

"Oh, please. You can't tell me you wouldn't prefer a warm, comfortable bed to an ice-cold car. Anyway, for now I'll just tell Gram that I'm staying in a hotel. We'll just get two rooms together."

* * *

Three weeks later, Elizabeth was sitting at the table in her hotel room, reading the newspaper, searching for a place to live, when Francis knocked on the door to her room.

"Come in, Francis, the door is open," she called out.

He opened the door. "You shouldn't do that, Elizabeth."

She glanced up at him in surprise. "Finally, I have a first name," she said with a laugh. "So, what activity is it that I shouldn't be engaging in?" she enquired with mild amusement.

"You shouldn't tell whoever knocks on the door to just walk in, _Ms. Webber_," he reprimanded, reverting to his standard address of her.

"I wouldn't have yelled for you to open the door if I didn't know that it was you, but I did because I recognized your knock," she explained in all seriousness.

"You recognized my…" he shook his head. "Has it ever occurred to you that you can't tell people apart from the way they knock on a door?"

"Well, it worked, didn't it? You need to relax. Take a deep breath and learn to live a little. You're starting to sound like Jason," she told him.

"Lucky for you that I am," he tossed back.

"I would hardly call it lucky. It's more like torment and condemnation. Don't get me wrong: Jason is a wonderful, caring person. He's just so preoccupied with the safety of those he loves, that he forgets to love them," she explained.

What she thought surprised Francis. He knew that Jason had taken a very personal interest in the young woman before him. "Is that really what you think?" he asked her.

Elizabeth inclined her head toward him defensively. "What am I supposed to think?" she returned.

"Jason cares," Francis assured her quietly. "If he didn't, he wouldn't have ordered me to guard you."

"I thought you said you were here on Sonny's orders," she countered.

In all honesty, Jason had ordered Francis not to tell Elizabeth that it had been his idea for Francis to guard Elizabeth. Jason had known that Elizabeth would be comfortable with Francis, but had also believed that it would be better for her to believe that it was all Sonny's idea. Francis had never questioned him, but now he thought that it was important Elizabeth know.

"Jason's orders," he clarified. "He didn't want you to know that, so I would appreciate it if he never hears about this conversation."

Elizabeth nodded and Francis continued, "Speaking of Sonny, he just called me; he wants you to come to the penthouse to see him."

"And if I decide I don't want to go?" she asked, feeling inexplicably rebellious.

"You'll want to go," he said knowingly. "Your curiosity is too strong. It will get the better of you."

She laughed and conceded. "Fine."

* * *

"Francis and Ms. Webber are here to see you, Boss," Max announced, opening Sonny's door slightly.

"Let them in, Max, thanks," Sonny responded.

"On second thought, Francis, do you mind waiting outside while I speak to Elizabeth."

Francis nodded and left the penthouse.

"Why did you want to see me?" Elizabeth asked once the door closed.

"Have a seat," Sonny replied, gesturing toward the sofa.

"I think I'll stand, but thank you."

He shrugged. "I have something for you," he said simply.

Elizabeth tilted her head to the side, but said nothing. She looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

Sonny walked over to his desk and picked up an envelope. He walked back over and handed it to her.

"What's this?" she asked.

He motioned for her to open it. Elizabeth easily tore open the end of the small envelope. The contents of it puzzled her. She found a familiar-looking silver key dangling form a key ring. "I don't understand…" she began.

"Francis reports to Jason anything going on with you. Nothing personal, just general information that might be of interest in order to make sure you're properly protected," Sonny explained. "Francis mentioned a few weeks ago that you were looking for a new place to live. Jason let it slip to me that you intended to buy back your studio. Soon after, I believe you were unable to reacquire it. Something about the owner receiving a higher offer," he said mischievously.

"You were the one who put in the higher offer," she gasped incredulously.

Sonny shrugged and gestured toward the envelope and subsequent key. "I wanted to do something to repay you for finding Carly."

Elizabeth tried to hand him back the key.

"You can't give it back now. I've just finished having the entire place renovated. There are still a few more things left to be done, but –"

"Renovated?" she asked, interrupting.

He nodded. "Renovated. New windows, doors, plumbing, electricity...When I saw it a few weeks ago, I didn't think it was fit for anyone to live in, let alone you, so I made a few phone calls. All you have to do is pick out new furniture and paint colours and it should be ready for you to move in," Sonny explained.

Elizabeth gazed up at him in a way that compelled him to believe that he had somehow managed miraculously to sprout a second head out of the side of his neck.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"I'm serious," he replied.

"I can't believe you did this! Why did you do this? I mean, I'm grateful, but why would you go to all of this trouble for me?"

"Because you deserve this. Ric was a sick person who hurt many people. You stopped him even though you were about to marry him, and had every reason in the world to trust him. I could buy you a million art studios and still be indebted to you for what you did for my family."

She stood up on the tips of her toes and hugged him. "Anyone would have done the same as I did, Sonny."

"Not anyone," he assured her.

The sound of the penthouse door suddenly opening startled them both.

"Keeps your paws off of my husband!"

"Carly," Elizabeth acknowledged. "You're back from the island, I see," she said clearly amused.

"Look, I know you called the police to get me out of the panic room. That was great and everything, but it doesn't mean you get any special status around here."

"Oh, don't worry, I wouldn't dream of it," she retorted. "Anyways, I should probably be going now. I would seem that I have a lot of work to do," she smiled at Sonny. "Thank you again. Good bye, Carly."

Elizabeth hastily made her way into the hallway and pressed the elevator button. When the elevator doors slid open with a sharp _ring_, Elizabeth was unpleasantly surprised to see Courtney Mathews walk through them.

"What are you doing here?" Courtney asked rudely.

"I was just visiting with Sonny," Elizabeth began to explain.

"What, are you trying to steal my entire life away from me now?" Courtney asked irately.

Elizabeth took a deep breath before beginning. "You have a right to be angry –"

"Angry? Oh, you have no idea."

"Look, Courtney, I wouldn't be here unless Sonny had asked me to come over. And for your information, even when I knew he wanted me to, I didn't want to be here."

"Just save you're excuses alright. Just save them. First, you steal my fiancé away from me – God knows how long you've been sleeping with him behind my back – and now you're after my brother. You're sick, you know that," Courtney yelled at her.

"Alright you know what, I don't know if Jason told you this, but we were drunk. It wasn't planned. I couldn't care less about you, so I wouldn't bother wasting my time trying to make your life terrible. Jason, on the other hand, was going to marry you. If you think he would intentionally try to hurt someone he cared about, you don't know him at all," Elizabeth shouted back.

"You are such a tramp, Elizabeth. Your really are. You pretend to be this nice, sweet, innocent girl. 'Oh, help me, I'm such a victim.' You're pathetic and twisted and you would do well to stay away from me, from Jason, and from everyone else in my life. You and Ric deserve each other," Courtney loudly jeered.

By this time, Carly could hear the shouting match taking place and had appeared in the hallway.

"What is going on?" Carly asked, oblivious to everything that had happened recently.

"This psychotic whore is trying to steal my life away from me, that's what's going on," Courtney screeched.

"Don't you think you're exaggerating just a little bit? I am not trying to steal your life away from you. Why would I want the life of a person as paranoid as you're being right now?" Elizabeth argued exasperated.

"I'm being paranoid. So what, did I just imagine that you slept with Jason almost two months ago when we were all away at the island? Was I being paranoid then?" Courtney shot back.

"Oh, my God," Carly gasped. "What is wrong with you?" she yelled, directing additional angry questioning toward an already faltering Elizabeth. Carly quickly march to the door to Jason's penthouse and sharply knocked on the door.

"Jason? Open the door. It's Carly. I need to talk to you right now," she yelled through the thick wooden door. Carly turned to glare at Elizabeth while waiting for Jason to answer the door.

When Jason took longer than she thought was proper, Carly began shouting at the door again. "Jason, if I have to break this door down, you know I will. Remember I'm pregnant. If you don't open this door, and I hurt myself, what are you going to say to Sonny?"

Jason yanked open his door with annoyance and stepped out into the hallway. "Carly, what do you want?" he asked before he had a chance to notice that both Elizabeth and Courtney were standing in the hallway as well.

"What's going on?" he asked the three of them.

"I cannot believe that you slept with Elizabeth Webber!" Carly exclaimed.

Jason ran a hand through his short hair. "Carly, this is none of your business," he tried.

"You know what, Jason? It is my business because you and Courtney are my two closest friends, and I will not let that tramp of a woman tear the two of you apart," she argued.

"Hey, that 'tramp of a woman' only saved your life," Elizabeth said, shaking her head in exasperation.

"She isn't trying to break Courtney and me apart, Carly. It was a mistake and it isn't going to happen again," he said to her.

"We were drinking a lot that night," Elizabeth added. "We never meant for anything

to –"

"So you had to get Jason drunk, too?" Courtney accused angrily. "You are just as crazy as Ric is. He tried to take Sonny's child away from him to get his particularly sick brand of revenge. Do you hate me so much that you –"

"I don't hate you, Courtney."

"– would try to get yourself pregnant with Jason's child?" Courtney asked furiously.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Carly asked quickly.

Elizabeth's eyes darted briefly to Jason. She realized then that he hadn't considered the possibility that she could have gotten pregnant any more than she had. Elizabeth quickly looked away and answered Carly.

"No," Elizabeth said slowly. "No, I'm not pregnant."

Jason watched her intently, trying to analyze the many thoughts and emotions he could tell were whirling just beneath the surface of her semi-calm exterior.

He was worried as well. What would they do if she was wrong and actually was pregnant? Then there was the possibility that the baby might not even be his, he thought to himself. She could easily be carrying Ric's baby. Jason pushed these thoughts aside and tried to focus on the situation at hand.

He realized that both Courtney and Carly needed to leave. He needed to have a serious conversation with Elizabeth about the possibility that the two of them conceived a child together.

"Elizabeth, can you wait inside the penthouse. Courtney, I need you to leave."

"But –"

"Now," he said firmly.

Wordlessly, Courtney pressed the elevator button on the wall. The doors opened and she disappeared.

Elizabeth, noting the serious expression Jason wore, quickly entered the penthouse to wait for him as he had asked. He moved out of the doorway to accommodate her, but her bare forarm brushed against the back of his hand as she passed him sending shivers down the length of her.

"What are you doing?" Carly asked bewildered. "Why are you letting Courtney go?"

"Go home, Carly," was Jason's only reply before he turned and left her in the now silent hallway.

Jason was not surprised to find that Elizabeth had not gone very far into his home, but was standing just inside the door. He ushered her gently into the living room.

Elizabeth walked toward the sofa in a daze, declining Jason's offer of something to eat or drink. As she mentally counted the days and weeks that had passed since she and Jason had slept together, she realized that there were too many; that she was late. She was beginning to feel increasingly more nauseous.

"I just wanted to talk to you. It won't take long," Jason began.

"What about," Elizabeth replied quietly.

Jason, noting the faint quality of her voice, moved back a few paces, allowing her some space, some room to breathe.

"I wanted to talk to you…we need to consider to possibility that you might be pregnant," he said calmly.

Elizabeth's gaze darted to his, but she looked away hastily in embarrassment. "There's no consideration to be had for that," she said quickly.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm definitely _not_ pregnant," she lied.

He looked relieved.

"Anyways, I should probably be leaving now. According to Sonny I have a lot of work to do. Colours to choose, furniture to select," she said uneasily, her eyes fixed eagerly upon the door.

He nodded. "I'll see you later, then."

Elizabeth, unsteady with the enormity of the dilemma she faced bearing down on her shoulders, somehow made it out the door, treating him to a weak smile and a small wave as she left.


End file.
